Department of Health and Social Care

Prescription Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) local clinical commissioning groups and (b) National Health Service trusts ensure clinicians are aware of their right to prescribe any product that is on Part IX of the drug tariff.

Jo Churchill: The Government has no plans to change current policies. Decisions about the provision of medical products available on Part IX of the Drug Tariff are a matter for local clinical commissioning groups, taking account of the needs of their local populations. The Drug Tariff does not apply to National Health Service trusts who are responsible for selecting the products they wish to use locally.

Coronavirus: Cancer

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the risks that covid-19 poses to people with cancer.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure (a) people living with cancer and (b) other vulnerable people can continue to receive care and support in their homes during the delay phase of the Government's response to covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 19 March 2020



On 24 March the Government implemented shielding as a measure to protect people who are clinically extremely vulnerable by minimising all interaction between those who are extremely vulnerable and others. They are strongly advising people with serious underlying health conditions, which put them at very high risk of severe illness from COVID-19, to rigorously follow shielding measures in order to keep themselves safe.People falling into this extremely vulnerable group include those with specific cancers, including; those who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer; those with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment; those having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer and those having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors. More information on sheltering can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19 Those at high risk will be contacted by the National Health Service by 29 March 2020. Key workers including those who provide social care are following their own guidance measures to ensure they can still perform their roles without increasing the risk of spread. More guidance can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance

Anaemia

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the delivery of NICE guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of pernicious anaemia.

Jo Churchill: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines provide comprehensive, evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice in a defined area. They are developed by experts based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with interested parties, including patient groups.NHS England and NHS Improvement are mainly responsible for the referral of clinically-focused guideline topics to NICE. NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked NICE to develop a guideline on pernicious anaemia. This was commissioned on 9 March 2020 and further information on timescales will be available on NICE’s website in due course.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of annual breast cancer screening  for people aged 45 and under who have previously had breast cancer.

Jo Churchill: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on ‘Early and locally advanced breast cancer: diagnosis and management’ in July 2018 which details how follow-up breast screening should occur. It is recommended that annual mammography should be offered to all people who have had breast cancer, until they enter the NHS Breast Screening Programme in England at age 50. Details of the guidance can be found at the following link:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng101/chapter/Recommendations#followup

Coronavirus: Dental Services

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has issued to dental health professionals on protecting themselves at work from covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 23 March 2020



The latest guidance for dental health professionals is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/issue-3-preparedness-letter-for-primary-dental-care-25-march-2020.pdfThis guidance includes information on how dental health professionals should protect themselves at work from COVID-19.Previous guidance was issued on 20 March which also has information on how to access personal protection equipment and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/Issue-2-Preparedness-letter-for-primary-dental-care-20-March-2020.pdf

Coronavirus: Drugs

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether generic drugs will (a) remain accessible and (b) not be increased in price during the covid-19 pandemic.

Jo Churchill: The country is well prepared to deal with any impacts of COVID-19 and we have stockpiles of generic drugs in the event of any supply issues or significant increases in demand.The Government does not set prices of generic medicines. Instead we rely on competition to drive prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the United Kingdom can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.The Department is working closely with industry, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to help ensure patients can access the medicines they need, and precautions are in place to reduce the likelihood of future shortages.The steps being taken to protect UK supplies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak were set out in the Department’s press statement issued on 11 February 2020. This statement is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-monitor-impact-of-coronavirus-on-uk-medicine-supply

Pharmacy: Protective Clothing

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will take steps for pharmacists who are dealing with members of the public to be issued protective clothing and equipment.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



Packs of personal protective equipment (PPE) have now been delivered to community pharmacies by DPD. This began on 13 March 2020; and deliveries were completed on 17 March 2020. These packs are only for use by pharmacy staff in line with the standard operating procedure for community pharmacy, and contain masks, aprons and gloves.If pharmacies have not received their PPE packs, or if the pack delivered is incomplete, they can contact the National Supply Disruption Service.Should community pharmacies require further PPE supplies, they can order this through their wholesalers.

NHS: Drugs

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS will not face a medicine shortage in the coming months.

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to apply stress tests to the NHS medicine supply in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



The country is well prepared to deal with any impacts of COVID-19 and we have stockpiles of generic drugs, in the event of any supply issues or significant increases in demand.The Department is working closely with industry, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to help ensure patients can access the medicines they need, and precautions are in place to reduce the likelihood of future shortages.The steps being taken to protect the United Kingdom’s supplies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak were set out in the Department’s press statement issued on 11 February 2020. This statement is available at the following:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-monitor-impact-of-coronavirus-on-uk-medicine-supply

Drugs

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to manufacture more active pharmaceutical ingredients in the UK to prevent medicine shortages.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



The Government has no plans to create facilities in the United Kingdom to manufacture further active pharmaceutical ingredients. There are 16,000 medicines on the market in the UK. Whilst some of these are manufactured in the UK, most are manufactured abroad. Where medicines are manufactured here, the active ingredients and excipients for those medicines may be manufactured abroad. It is not realistic to manufacture all 16,000 medicines and the active ingredients and excipients needed for these medicines in the UK.The production of medicines is complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. Supply problems can affect a wide range of medicines and can arise for various reasons, such as manufacturing issues, problems with the raw ingredients and batch failures. These problems arise regardless of where in the world the manufacture takes place.

Refuges: Protective Clothing

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure personal protective equipment is allocated to workers in women's refuges during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 March 2020



The Government has issued guidance to providers of supported living, and homeless provision, which includes advice on safety, cleaning and isolation, which is available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance/covid-19-guidance-for-supported-living-provisionhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-services-for-people-experiencing-rough-sleeping/covid-19-guidance-for-hostel-or-day-centre-providers-of-services-for-people-experiencing-rough-sleepingThe Government is in discussion with refuge providers who are engaged in their own contingency planning to keep specialist domestic abuse safe accommodation and associated support services available to victims in line with Public Health England’s advice.

Medical Equipment: EU Countries

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to work with EU member states to procure medical equipment needed during the covid-19 pandemic

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 25 March 2020



The Government is working with industry, the National Health Service, social care providers and the army to ensure the supply of key medical equipment for the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak. We are in active discussions with the European Union Commission on future shared procurement opportunities and we will decide whether to participate in each on the basis of public health requirements at the time. We are exploring all procurement options for medical equipment to give the NHS and the social care sector everything they need to tackle this outbreak.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether continuity of opioid substitution treatment will be safeguarded during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 March 2020



The Department is working closely with industry, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to help ensure patients can access the medicines they need, including opioid substitution treatment, and precautions are in place to reduce the likelihood of future shortages.

Pharmacy: Prescriptions

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether pharmacies will be required to fulfil longer-term prescriptions for people in need of harm reduction medications during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 March 2020



Advice, issued by NHS England and NHS Improvement, is that in the main general practitioners should not issue prescriptions for a longer duration, pharmacies should not order larger quantities, and patients and the public should not seek to stockpile medicines as this behaviour could put the supply chain at risk.